Blood Secrets
by Jacy Arienh Sagira
Summary: Over the summer, Hermione becomes one of the undead and now she must find a way to get rid of the horrible void she feels inside. But can she keep this new part of her a secret?
1. Chapter 1

Blood Secrets: Chapter 1

Hermione awoke to darkness. A ravenous hunger gnawing at the pit of her stomach unlike anything she had ever known. Sore muscles ached and her vision blurred into focus.

Looking around her, it took the young witch a moment to realize where she was. To her left a cluttered stack of boxes stood piled against a dusty wall. On her right, stacked chairs and fold out tables that were used when her building had their annual picnic. She seemed to be lying in the downstairs basement of the apartment building but as to why Hermione was still a little confused.

She groaned loudly as she picked herself up from the mold encrusted wall, and looked around while rubbing a particularly antagonizing spot on her neck just below her ear. That's when it all rushed back to her.

The man, the kiss … the vampire. It had happened, all of it. Now Hermione's mind was reeling so quickly, her stomach clenched and she found herself doubled over dry heaving. Her whole body shook with uncontrollable tremors of shock.

How could this have happened? What was to become of her? Who could she turn to?

Scenes of the vampire attacking her flooded her memory and for the first time in her entire life, Hermione knew true fear.

What had he done to her? But even as she asked herself, she knew she already had the answer to that question and realized the more important question was, what kind of monster had she become?

Three stories above her head, the sound of Laura moving around in the kitchen, humming with the radio filtered down towards Hermione, and the impact of her question hit her straight on. Who could hear the sound of someone humming through three stories.

Straining to make out more, Hermione could hear the sound of their landlady's black and white screen TV straining to pick up a local news channel, and then on the top floor where the new couple had just moved in, Hermione blushed a deep crimson. The creak of a mattress and the sound of deep throaty moans filled her ears as the man thrust inside his wife over and over.

Hermione quickly focused again on her sister, deciding it was better to stay away from the upstairs at least for a little while. The sound of footsteps echoed down her hallway, a heavier step than that of her sister, and a picture of the very place she had been thinking of slammed into her mind. The narrow space of her hallway, the feel of carpet on her toes, and the deep hunter green of the walls formed a perfect image in her mind as she were actually there herself. Then two voices crept down to her. One obviously her sister, the other sounding oddly like her own.

"Morning Mione." Laura said in that chipper voice that always irked her in the early morning. "You got all bags packed for school?"

"Yes, they're all packed." She heard herself say and shuffle towards the coffee pot. It was her typical early morning routine.

"Good thing, the cab will be here in an hour or two to pick you up…You know I'm really going to miss you while you're at school this year." Laura stated.

"No you won't," she answered replacing the coffee pot," You're just upset you have to put up with old Mrs. Callaway until Mum and Dad come home from their trip."

Laura laughed and she walked out of the kitchen towards her room with her mug of coffee in hand.

The image of the kitchen blurred away dissolving back into the basement and the loud shatter of glass echoed down to Hermione, but she was to far out of it to notice. Her eyelids had become extremely heavy and quite quickly Hermione was thrown into a deep sleep.

The kitchen rushed back into view just as fast as it had disappeared and the young witch found herself in a large puddle of steaming coffee. A puddle she awkwardly enough could not feel.

"Are you ok in there?" her sister called from her room with worry in her voice.

"Yes fine, just dropped my mug is all." She called back and bent forward to pick up the pieces, throwing them in the sink.

"What is going on here?" Hermione mumbled under her breath as she cleaned up the mess, not feeling anything at all. It was as if her entire body had numbed. Was she in the basement and if so then how was she in the kitchen?

Moments later, Hermione stumbled into the bathroom to take a good look at herself in the mirror. Nothing seemed out of order. No bites on her neck, no blood on her clothes. She looked as if she had just rolled out of bed. With that thought in mind, she brushed her hair into a ponytail then cleaned her teeth, happy to notice a lack of fangs, all the while thinking of what was happening to her.

Was she dreaming now, or was the basement a dream? Although it all felt to real to be that. Was she going insane? Had she totally lost it? God she hoped not. And why couldn't she feel anything? What in the hell was going on?

Her mind raced as she tried to come up with answers, and in the midst of it all she had an epiphany.

"Hey Laura, I'll be right back ok." She yelled from the bathroom.

"Ok."

Within seconds Hermione was outside the door and racing down the four floors of stairs leading herself directly to the basement door. Once in front of it however, she had to stop and compose herself. Taking a deep breath she stilled herself and opened the door.

Inside, directly in front of her, were the chairs and fold out tables, but everything else was shrouded in darkness. Another deep breath and she took two steps inside the room, closed the door behind herself, and flicked on the light switch next to her.

There against the wall, she saw exactly what she had been dreading. Herself.

Well a version of herself anyways. Her skin was paler, much paler, but not sickly so. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving. Not even to breath she noticed. Her hair which had always been a rat's nest of frizzy curls was now a shimmering waterfall of honey brown tendrils, softly curling into perfection, and her new shirt was covered in dark brown blood stains.

With slow, hesitating steps, she edged her way to the body in front of her, crouching on shaky knees to get a closer look. It was all a bad dream, a nightmare come true. Hermione reached out stopping millimeters from her face, not really sure she wanted to touch it. Then grasping for some of the legendary Gryffindor courage, she pushed herself the rest of the way.

Hermione had to admit that it was the most awkward thing to experience. Her fingers felt nothing, but where they met the skin of her face she felt touch. It was a gentle brushing across her cheek and lips. Her skin tingling where her fingers met her face.

Finally after a few moments, curiosity got the better of her and she pulled up the flesh of her upper lip, and just as she had expected she saw fangs. Two long canines were peeking out from her gums just as she had seen in old horror movies.

It was this if anything that snapped the young witch into an over dramatic panic. Her mind raced and she couldn't seem to think properly. Her mind repeated a "What do I do, What do I do?" mantra over and over, her chest heaved and she tried to suck in air, but only managed to fall backwards, skidding across the floor.

Her body began to shake again, her eyes glued themselves to the…the…corpse in front of her.

In the corner of her eye she saw the movement of someone outside the door and panicked, "Who is it?"

"Hermione, what are you doing in there? Your ride was here ten minutes ago, come on." Laura's voice called from the other side of the door.

"Ok, I'll be up in a minute. Tell them my things are on the bed, just put them in the car."

Laura didn't say anything for a moment, then she obviously decided to ignore her older sister's odd behavior. "Ok." Then the younger girl tromped back up the stairs.

With a sigh of relief, Hermione turned back towards the problem at hand and decided she had to do something.

First she tried lifting the body, but found it to be quite a bit heavier than it seemed. Then she thought about shrinking it, but wasn't all that sure that was very safe, especially since she wasn't all that sure what was going on just yet.

In the end she had to quickly drag it to a corner of the basement no one ever went to, a little dusty water closet that hadn't been working for years, and there she hoped no one would think to look. Namely a very curious younger sister who no doubt wanted to know what she had been up to.

Then checking to make sure everything looked in order, she switched off the light and went back upstairs to catch her ride.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All belongs to J.K. Rowling, I am merely borrowing with the intent of putting her great characters into my own devilish plot and forcing them to perform my own twisted pleasures. I promise that I will give them back, for the most part unscathed. evil Slytherin grin

Blood Secrets: Chapter 2

Hermione looked around the Great Hall, thankful that the start of term feast was coming to an end, and made her way to the head of the Gryffindor table to show the first years to the dorms.

The Hall was filled with loud, anxious murmurs of the other students, the tables still covered with food, of which Hermione hadn't touched, and the Staff was already filing out to return to their quarters.

Ron and Harry stood beside her, bantering about Quidditch as usual, and not quite noticing that something was wrong with their friend.

But Hermione felt as if she were going to scream.

She hadn't felt anything since that morning, nothing. Not the feel of hot food, or the cold rain on the platform, not even Harry and Ron's hugs. Plus, on the ride to Hogwarts, she couldn't stop thinking about her body. If it could be considered that.

Had Laura found it, was it really her body, or was this her body, and should she tell Harry or Ron what had happened, or should she wait till she knew more?

If only she could get to the library, maybe just maybe, she could figure something out.

The students lined up in front of her, and she led them out of the hall and up the grand staircase towards Gryffindor common rooms. Her mind only half on where she was going as she had made this same trip a thousand times.

Hermione murmured the password, entering the common room, she pointed out the girl's dormitories as well as the boy's, explained the rules and quickly excused herself without saying goodnight to either Ron or Harry. With hurried steps she almost ran towards her new dormitory, one she shared with the head boy, unfortunately this year that would be Malfoy, but Hermione's mind wasn't on that.

For the first time since she had touched her body in the basement she felt something. She didn't know how or why, well maybe an inkling of why but definitely not how, she felt the sun going down. It's last rays were sinking below the horizon at that very moment.

Faster than she had thought possible, she was in her room with her door slammed shut and to the window, making it just in time to see darkness spread across the lake. Then, just like that, she was back in her basement, in the body she had hidden in the darkness of the water closet.

There had been no swirl of color, no warning, nothing. Simply the feel of the sun sinking below the horizon, then boom, here she was. Her world had switched from dull everyday Hermione, with the exception of lack of feeling of course, to sensation overload.

The basement being twice as dark as it had been that morning, was brightly illuminated in Hermione's new eyes. The sounds of the city were all distinguishable through her ears, the honking of a horn, the screeching of railway cars on their tracks, all mingled together in a sort of song that only Hermione could hear.

As she had that morning, she focused on her floor of the apartment but couldn't make out any sounds of her sister. So she had to be somewhere else, which meant she was safe at least for a little while.

Now for the real problem at hand, getting to school before someone realized she was gone.

Making one last check of the apartments just to see if anyone was near a window, she raced from the basement and out the door onto the street. A few people were walking down the opposite side of the road but no one she had seen before.

A low thumping noise emanated the small group under the sound of their chattering voices, and it took the young girl a few moments to see the sound for what it really meant. Heartbeats, slightly quickened from their pace making the beautiful sound of life in Hermione's new ears.

She couldn't help but watch the four of them pass in silent wonder while they talked about menial things, and didn't feel herself follow them down the next street. By the time the small group had made the next turn Hermione was to far gone to stop herself from the horror she committed next.

One of the men turned into a dark alleyway, leaving the others. He was smaller than most men with sandy brown hair and blue eyes, and by the sound coming from him, he had a heart murmur.

Hermione watched as his three companions walked on before she slipped silently into the alleyway, slinking catlike behind the old garbage cans and trash dumpsters.

She heard the rustle of clothing and the click of a lighter being lit followed by the smell of cigarette smoke, but paid no attention. A deep, vast emptiness swelled inside her and the need to fill the hole overwhelmed her.

One quick motion, and it was over. No talking, no playing, nothing. Hermione's teeth sank deep into his throat bringing forth the sweet flow of living blood. He struggled helplessly in her tight embrace, the stench of fear and stale cigarette smoke engulfing her sensitive nostrils.

Gulping, she drained him of everything, every drop, and slowly lowered him to the ground, licking her lips of the last remnants of blood.

The emptiness was still there, however, roiling in the center of her heart. The feel was less agonizing and overwhelming as it had been before, but there none the less. Cloying her with itself.

Looking down at the body, Hermione slid down the wall onto the ground and stared, horrified at what she had done. She could feel his blood ripping through her veins sending jets of pleasure through each part of her body, but only making it to the mere edges of that vast emptiness. For a split second she thought it might pour into the hole but only that small moment because the feeling had already begun to recede.

Hermione knew that it was stupid for her to feel the way she did because of what she now was, to feel the remorse she knew should be there slip away like water through her fingers. She felt herself slipping with that water, taking parts of herself she knew she would never need nor remember, and that she would never regret losing. Remorse being one of the most prominent of those, followed quickly by a few of the ingrained morals of childhood to be filled with more, shall we say, instinctual needs.

So there she found herself with the corpse in a dark alleyway on the eastern side of London with no where to hide the body, but a lack of caring on her part. Hermione's eyes narrowed at the pale skin of the man's face, the lack of color in his lips and reached down into his pocket. As she had expected, his wallet fell into her waiting hand. A nice brown leather wallet, a little worn from years of use with a sliver emblem of a running fox being chased by hounds on the front.

Sifting through it she found two hundred pound notes, some family pictures, and receipts from that night. She pocketed the hundred pound notes and searched his other pockets, finding a gold pocket watch and some loose change. Then not feeling the slightest bit horrible that she had killed and was now stealing, she looked at the man's simple black shirt and heavy brown leather trench coat with an avaricious smile.

He was slightly smaller than her, so once she had on his two garments, she realized she was quite pleased with the overall effect. Where her breasts were, the shirt pulled in tight making her chest seem larger. And the coat fit perfectly, giving her a very hands-off, can't-touch-just-look appeal she had never had before.

She arose gracefully, something that could never have been said about her in any normal situation, and turned her back on the now half naked corpse, no longer really worried about him or Hogwarts.

Tonight she was free, and it was time to play.

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The sound of shuffling feet woke Hermione, and she sat up slowly not quite sure where she was. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and took a quick look. The Headgirl's dormitory.

A few more seconds' time told her that she was also back to her second body, the one she couldn't feel. She let out a heavy sigh and rolled out from underneath the sheets of her bed to stumble to her wardrobe.

Hermione had never been a morning person, so it had always been something of a chore for her to get ready in the mornings. Her frizzy hair had only mildly tamed itself over the years, still not enough for her to spend only a few seconds on it like other girls. She still had to use ten or eleven of the charms to get the giant mass to lie in smooth curls with only a small amount of frizz, but she had gotten used to it.

Her robes and hair in place, she added a touch of makeup to her eyes and grabbed her books. Another thing that she had also changed. Whereas in her first five years she could be seen with stacks of books in her arms as she trudged through the hallways, now she kept most of her books on a charmed shelf in her room. Whatever books she needed popped onto the shelf at the appropriate time. A present from her parents in her sixth year.

Therefore her school bag now only carried the appropriate books for each class which quite literally took a great weight off the young witch's shoulders.

In the common room, Malfoy lay sprawled on the couch looking quite disinterested with his surroundings. That is until he saw Hermione emerging from her room.

"Well look who finally decided to disgrace the world with her presence," he drawled with a sneer.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "Yes well I couldn't keep my public waiting, Malfoy," she said snidely before swaying out the portrait hole towards the Great Hall, not even giving the Slytherin a backwards glance.

She could tell by the mass of students that she was later than usual getting to breakfast, but by the way more students were piling in, it was not too late.

Plopping down between Harry and Ron she made an attempt to look like she was eating something, and only had to wait a few moments before the owl post arrived with the class schedules. As usual she had most of the basic courses with Harry, Ron, and the Slytherin class, while her more career associated classes like Arithmancy and such were held with a mix of all the different houses.

First up was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Doing her best to seem like she was taking bites and chewing the small portion of eggs she had put on her plate, Hermione thought about the night before.

And once she focused her mind on the thought, all the events flooded her mind. She killed the man, stole his money and his clothes and spent the rest of the night enjoying her freedom.

Grown men had approached her in the streets around her local pubs, offering to buy her drinks, which she graciously accepted, although not in the way they had meant. And each time she had taken their money and left them lying face down in a gutter bloodless.

It gave her great exhilaration to know she had that kind of power, but the sunshine from the enchanted ceiling put a great damper on that feeling.

During the day she was less than human, vulnerable to the world, and helpless to those who might find her vampire body. A body she had made sure to hide in a place no one would think to look when she felt the sun rising.

So for now her mind was at peace about her other body and was forced to focus on less pressing problems such as a day of class, followed by a night of research to find out more about her other self.

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Five minutes till sunset, the strange tingle that told her the sun was going down seeped up her spine. She could feel the heat of it dying on the horizon and the moon slowly rising in all her glorious luster. The stars began to twinkle into existence just as Hermione felt herself fall back into her other body.

Now it was time to see what she could really do.

Forcing her way out of the coffin in the Room of Requirement wasn't as easy as she had thought it would be, but she managed it after a few moments.

Silently thanking herself for a stroke of ingenious, she looked around her new lair. What every vampire needed a lair, what better a place than the one and only Hogwarts? No one would think up the need for a vampire lair in the school. There would be no need, and besides even if they did it couldn't possibly bring up her's. Books about vampires lined the walls, candles were lit all around, and a large couch sat in front of an enormous fire place.

Plucking a few of the tomes from the shelves, Hermione cuddled into the couch and flicked through the pages. This is what she lived for, the hunt and search of knowledge.

For hours the fire flickered and danced while she read all the mysterious encounters of vampires, some of their known powers, although the more she read the more she saw just how little everyone really knew.

It seemed that due to a rather reclusive race or a lack of bravery, each book contained relatively little on the subject at hand.

One said that vampires could not stand the smell or taste of garlic, they hated crucifixes, and had to be stabbed through the heart with a wooden stake. Basically all the old legends. According to it a vampire was mindless of the world around it but merely roamed from place to place taking the blood of others to sate itself. The only way to stop them was holy water, a cross, or the stake. Even dismemberment could not stop the undead.

Hermione knit her brows at this. Obviously this was quite a load of shite. She rubbed her temples and pondered. She was not sure about the truth of the dismemberment nor the stake in the heart, but the holy water and crosses and garlic she could test.

Closing her eyes she thought her need out loud to the room and watched as the required items appeared on a table before her.

First, and quite carefully, she dipped her fingers into the holy water. Nothing, no burn, no tingle, nothing. Next she went for the garlic and again nothing, followed by the cross. Again nothing. Sighing, Hermione tossed the book to one side into what she began calling later the shite pile.

In it could be found things she tested or already knew to be false. Like the idea that Vampires could not say God's name or that they changed into Vampire bats or that they could not touch silver.

Next to this pile were all the books she found may have some truth to them, but that would definitely need more testing to prove. Here were the theories of what may be possible. For instance the ability to read the minds of others, and the ability to move from one place to another through something similar to apparition. As well as one that mentioned her ability to project herself during the day.

But finally after almost a full night of searching she found two books actually written by vampires. One on the more general abilities they possessed, the other on half vampires and their masters.

According to the one full blooded vampires, which could mean made or born, had their own special kind of magic. They are similar to house elves in that the magic is stronger than that of normal witch or wizard, and can not be wielded by any but those who possess the blood. They can perform the spells of simple witches and wizards, but prefer their own blood magic. However, half bloods can only do some of the lower spells of the race because they are not strong enough in the blood. A half-blood only has some of the abilities of a full and therefore is required by Vampire Law to follow his/her master till they are made whole.

A half will still age, but much slower than that of a human. And can live up to two lifetimes longer than their mortal brethren.

Hermione read on, but after these few tidbits the book lapsed back into stories about the author, which provided little in details.

She could only gather that after something like a right of passage the vampire was "filled" by his other half and by the looks of things went on to wage war with the clan of Klentock, then through his prestige became the head of his own clan.

The other book, more pictures than words really, told only that a Vampire has great speed, agility, and inhuman strength. They can speed for short distances or place themselves in wherever they please by merely thinking of where they needed to go unless they are under the throws of "Need". Whatever that meant.

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A/N: Okay I decided not to ramble on about what else she does that night because I find that if I do that it gets extremely boring. And unfortunately I had to write the last bit or else no one would understand what was going on. So now you know at least some of her abilities as a half-blood. laughs to self This was completely unintended, but did anyone else notice that even as a vampire Hermione is a "mud blood"? Lol poor 'Mione.

Oh in the next chapter I believe I may begin to have her test her abilities (God I feel like I'm repeating myself with abilities) and after that who knows what trouble she could get into. Who she could meet later on and where she ends up. And just for your info, I am not putting Hermione in ANY relationships with Any Hogwarts students, and yes there is a reason. So don't get your panties in a twist because she isn't reforming Draco with her seductive vampire ways or Harry and Ron because they realize they are more than friends. Sorry but I already have this figured out. Oh and also no student teacher relationships, I'm not a huge Hermione/Snape person and Hermione/Dumbledore or Lupin isn't a big thrill either. As a matter of fact that idea just scorches my mental retinas with flabby skin and shudders I'm stopping now. Eugh that is a disgusting thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All belongs to J.K. Rowling, I am merely borrowing with the intent of putting her great characters into my own devilish plot and forcing them to perform my own twisted pleasures. I promise that I will give them back, for the most part unscathed. evil Slytherin grin

Blood Secrets: Chapter 3

The Forbidden Forest lay silent as the grave, shrouded in darkness. It's occupants all scuttled quietly along it's damp floor, making little noise. It was always like this here, silent, intimidating, and fearful. Never did loud roars penetrate the quiet or twittering birds. No here silence was the key that kept away unwanted visitors. That is except for those who feared nothing of the woods …and some who did.

It was nearly Halloween, a good month and a half since Hermione's life had changed. She had grown accustomed to the never ending cycle of projecting her image then swooping back into her real body, and so far so good. No one had yet caught onto her little game.

Hermione seemed the same to any who saw her during the day. The same book reading know-it-all, albeit with less of her natural frizz and lack of makeup. With the comprehension of what projecting her image really meant, Hermione had come to the conclusion that she could also change the image she projected into what she wanted them to see.

Now when people saw Hermione Granger walking down the hallways, it was with thick, smooth curls and the face of a seventeen year old girl. No hair out of place and never without makeup. Her teeth were just as white as they had always been, and her attitude hadn't changed a bit.

During the night, however, Hermione was a totally different person.

If seen, it was only in glimpses. Her perfect curls were the same, but nothing else. At night the young girl walked, talked, and even moved differently. She was a predator that was rarely if ever seen, stalking around the castle and grounds outside, poofing from one place to another leaving behind nothing more than dark purple tendrils of smoke.

Her best friends blamed her lack of appearances in the common room on Headgirl duties and the like, but deep down they sort of knew something wasn't quite right with her. To their surprise, she no longer attacked them with lectures on getting their homework done or staying out of trouble, merely let them alone. It was, she had said, time for them to do things on their own, and had left it at that.

Secretly Hermione had studied her new gifts, finding that she had none of the famed vampire strength but all of their sight, hearing, and smell capabilities as well as a few other things. Unfortunately, even as a half blood she still needed blood to survive.

At night she had taken to the streets of London, killing one person a night. However her charades there soon stopped, as the police were now after the murderer who drained his/her victims, and she designated herself to the people inside the castle.

It took more effort not to drain any one student fully but she did her best, and as of yet no one had died or raised suspicion about bite marks on their bodies. Although more than a few students went to the infirmary complaining of dizziness and chills in the mornings now.

So that is where this night found Hermione Granger. Inside the Ravenclaw dormitory amongst a group of first year boys.

The hunger for blood had kicked in after only a few hours on this particular night as did the vast emptiness that she found to be unending. This emptiness had grown steadily stronger each night, even creeping it's way into her daytime projections, which brought her spirits down considerably and made her hunger for blood even more ravenous than ever before.

But even so the kept her guard up while circling each of the beds searching for which boy had the strongest heart beat. At last she narrowed in on one, and slowly inched forward in the darkness.

The boy rolled over, twisting in his sheet, his eyes moving rapidly behind his lids. Now was the time to take him, while in the throws of a dream. She inched forward the last few meters, now directly over his bed.

No noise, no breath of air, she bent over his head opening her mouth.

"NOOOOO!"

Hermione jumped, startled at the sudden exclamation. Then quickly scanning the room she saw the other three boys roll and move in their beds, each sitting up slowly in the dark and adjusting their eyes.

Looking down, the boy she had been about to bite had his eyes still squenched tightly shut, his brows knitted in frustration.

"I think David is having another nightmare." One of the boys whispered.

A few quiet laughs followed this statement. "I bet it's the one with the evil Easter bunny." A few more quiet laughs.

"No I bet it's the niffler again." The laughs continued, this time a little louder than before.

Hermione looked down at the boy below her. His hands were grasping his ears and sure enough he seemed to be mumbling something about not having any gold for the pretty niffler.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she checked the room again to make sure no one had yet seen her, and disappeared to the Forest in a soft blast of purple smoke tendrils.

The hunger was now burning the back of her throat and roiling in the pit of her stomach while the emptiness screamed to be filled. She had to find blood, she had to do it before she went crazy.

Her surroundings were quite literally devoid of any life. Not so much as a bug. The trees swayed in the fall breeze, and the falling leaves made small rustles as they floated to the ground.

She looked up at the sky through the trees, watching the stars twinkle through the branches. The moon hung high, almost directly above her. It must have been around midnight.

Knowing she probably would find nothing in the forest other than centaurs, she opted for one more night in London. A full draining would do her good, and the freedom would be even better.

_Snap_.

Hermione jerked her head towards the sound. A large distance away, but still audible to her.

_Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump…_

A speeding heartbeat… faster and faster. This person was running.

In the blink of an eye, Hermione lost herself. The sound of the pumping blood called to her. Her hunger called to her, the thrill of the hunt and the exhilaration of the final kill screamed for her. Instincts took over her tiny frame, and her last remnants of sanity drained away for the moment.

Purple smoke surrounded her and she was there, blood pounding in her ears.

There among the foliage of some underbrush lay a man. He was scrunching as much of his overweight body into his hiding place as possible. His breathing was ragged, his clothes torn, and his hair had come out in clumps. It seemed he was trying to perform a spell of some sort but could not find the strength to do so.

Perfect.

No inching this time, Hermione rushed him, grappling his head in her hands and sunk her teeth into his neck, sucking the life blood faster than she had ever thought possible. Within moments the poor man was gone, without a chance. The rush and hunger still trying to grapple her body.

Hermione fell backwards onto the ground staring at the sky, the stars, and the moon. She felt the blood burning in her cells, washing pleasurably and painfully over her. Like pins and needles and sweet kisses and gentle caresses all at once. And she laughed while tears streamed unwanted down her pale cheeks. The watery tears of a human mixed with the blood tears of a vampire.

The pain of her emptiness became almost unbearable, swelling until she thought it would consume her. Through it she missed the feel of hands lifting her, the turning and shifting of the world meant nothing through the pain.

"Where is your master, Half-blood?" The question was muffled to her ears.

"Where is your master?"

Hermione groped dazedly on the arms of the person holding her, looking for purchase. She saw dark black eyes meet her own and thick black hair. A man of maybe forty with strong hands and a thick body.

He moved aside her hair, searching the nape of her neck. Then her wrist and back.

"Where is your mark?" His voice was becoming gruff, the muffled sound melting away leaving just the pain.

She winced. "You're hurting me." She gritted out, but he squeezed tighter.

"Where is your mark, Half-blood? Where is your master? You should know better than to leave his side."

Hermione sucked in air, feeling as if she would throw up, her knees buckled, but he didn't let go. Sagging in his hands, she murmured," I have no mark… no master."

"Liar, Law says you do, it is impossible." He spat at her.

"I am not…lying. I have no…no…n" Her head tilted to the side and just before she lost consciousness she saw three others standing across from them watching her, then nothing.

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"Coran, I don't think she is lying to us. She was to far gone with the hunger to have come up with any sort of good lie." A feminine voice. The first thing Hermione heard when she began to wake from her black out.

"It is not possible, no one is made only half way and given no mark. Look at her she is old enough to feel the "Need". She shouldn't even be a half any more. Whoever left her this way should know better. All halves must be made full before the need kicks in. It is the Law of our kind." The deep gruff voice of the man who had been holding her.

"We know that, Coran, we all know the laws as well as any other vampire." This was a different voice than the first, but still feminine. It sounded older than the first female, maybe Coran's age?

Hermione heard Coran sigh heavily. "I know, but why would someone go against the Laws?"

"Not everyone believes in them as you and I and Kaleen and Axis. You know some of the other clans are fighting against the Laws, even some of our own are fighting to have them changed." It was the second female, the older one, that spoke this.

"Our Laws have worked since the beginning of time, they always have, they keep us hidden, safe from outsiders. We can't just abandon them, we'll be lost." Coran was speaking again, but where was the other one. Hermione still hadn't heard him speak yet.

The three speaking lapsed into silence which felt sort of uneasy. Hermione opened her eyes, thankful that she was not being watched by them. But she now understood why she had not heard the fourth one talking. He was not there.

A slight swooshing sound and a swirl of deep purple smoke, and there he was. "I've lost the trail. I feel it pushing me, but I can't tell which way to go. But we are very close" He sounded frustrated.

Hermione shifted to get a better look at the four vampires that had stumbled upon her in the woods. Coran and the younger of the two women, Kaleen, were sitting side by side on the ground, their fingers intertwined. While the older woman stood near the second male. She couldn't make out what was being said by the two, but whatever it was, Coran and Kaleen could. The couple was nodding along with the older vampire, but Axis, still seemed grim.

He looked how she felt, hurt, hollow, lost. He paced back and forth, damp leaves squishing under his boots, but he said nothing.

Hermione rolled over and pushed herself off of the wet ground. They all turned and watched her intently, except for Axis.

"I am called Lenette, Half-blood. I am the leader of this Soul Binding. What are you called?" Hermione stood looking at her for a moment. Her hair was long and blonde, falling almost to her knees. It was braided in an intricate style she had never seen before, and she was wearing a dress of the darkest black silk. Lenette's face was pale and ovular with a high nose and arched blonde brows. She looked like a princess on her way to a funeral.

"Hermione."

Lenette nodded her head then asked," Tell me Half-blood, how it is that that you have no master and no mark upon which we can identify you? What is your clan?"

The pain in Hermione's chest was stabbing, it throbbed when she spoke, making her words and sentences choppy. "I was attacked outside my home by one of your kind…I tried to fight him but I could not…stop…him from…taking my blood. So I…bit him. I…I…" Speaking was almost exhausting. Hermione tried to take a step forward and found herself plopped on the ground.

No one moved to help her, "So you drank from him, am I correct?"

She nodded.

"I see, and this vampire he did not stay with you? He said nothing to you?"

"No…He left me…he…said nothing."

The three that were paying attention to her all seemed very upset with her story but made no attempt to say she was lying about it.

Hermione was so lost, so confused she didn't know what to do. She was in agonizing pain, surrounded by the first people of her own kind she had met, and she couldn't think straight. Should she be telling them this? What were they going to do with her?

"Hermione do you realize what you have become?"

She nodded in response.

Coran's head snapped towards Lenette. "What are you doing? You can't possibly-"

"We have to Coran, look at her eyes. You see her pain, the "Need" is upon her. If we do not she may die before the night is over." Lenette seemed calm about whatever decision she had made, and it obviously involved helping Hermione. So the young girl decided to stay out of it, and continue staring in her dazed stupor.

"She doesn't know our laws, Lenette. Besides, you can not make her of our clan, it is not right. Only Clan Leader can decide that." Coran was insistant and Lenette's eyes told Hermione that his point had hit home with her.

It was then Kaleen stood, "She may not be able to decide clan that way, but I take her as mine. Hermione come to me."

She stood as best she could, but not for long. Her knees buckled under her again. This time with no one around holding her up, she toppled to the forest floor in a heap. Determined, Hermione got to her knees and crawled towards Kaleen.

The vampire crouched in front of her face, holding it between lithe fingers and spoke words in a language she had never heard, then she tilted Hermione's head forward and blew on the nape of her neck.

"Understand Hermione that I am your master, you answer to me for all that must be done. My will shall be done, and you will be the one to do it. I will teach you to hunt, to take only what you deserve, and speak nothing but the truth. Until you have fulfilled our bond with the giving and taking of blood upon the coming of your 'Need'. Do you accept this bond?"

"I accept."

"By the blood and by the Laws it is done."

Kaleen's words were echoed around the small clearing they were in, giving them the utmost finality.

"Now Hermione, I want you to understand something. The time of "Need" is upon you, and by the Laws of our kind you must be made whole to search for the one that completes you. However, you know nothing of your own kind. Therefore the one for whom you search shall be your teacher. Once you are in a better condition to understand this, we will explain it more to you. What I am going to do now will hurt, but I need you to pay attention and not black out again. Follow my instructions."

Hermione nodded once more.

"Tilt your head to the side"

She complied, moving her hair to the opposite side.

Kaleen lowered her head, sinking her teeth into Hermione's neck. Within moments the searing pain of the bite was reduced to nothing. She could feel the blood flow into Kaleen's mouth, gushing from the wound.

"Now take hold of my wrist and drink until I tell you to stop."

For the second time that night Hermione grappled for the blood, sinking her fangs into Kaleen's alabaster skin, sucking the blood in long draws. And just as it had been the first night, it was liquid ecstasy in her mouth.

With each new draw, her human cells disappeared, either being replaced or made into vampire cells, stronger than the ones that she had first been given. Within seconds, the last bit of Hermione Granger the witch was gone. Her heart pumped this new blood with a vigor it had not ever felt before, but the emptiness she felt only intensified.

Hermione screamed out in pain and rage that this hole inside her had not been taken, had not been filled. She was still only half of what she should be, that she knew.

Kaleen's breath grew ragged from the loss of blood and Hermione's from the extreme amount of pain she was in.

"Now you are whole, Hermione. Rise and know yourself as such." Lenette said from behind her.

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A/N: Ha I have done it, Hermione is now a full vampire. Okay I have another surprise ready for the next chapter that I hope you will all enjoy.

Has anyone figured out what the "Need" is yet? I myself don't think it will be too hard for you to think up, but I was just wondering.

Ok, now that I have done two chapters in one day, I may type up some of chapter 5 of my other story or continue on with this. I don't know I may have to do some reading or something. Whatever.

Thank you for your reviews, I must say that they are what keep any author going. So keep them coming, I need your input!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All belongs to J.K. Rowling, I am merely borrowing with the intent of putting her great characters into my own devilish plot and forcing them to perform my own twisted pleasures. I promise that I will give them back, for the most part unscathed. evil Slytherin grin

Blood Secrets: Chapter 4: The Ties That Make Us

Hermione lay on the forest floor, her body feeling torn and ragged, her breath coming in short gasps as it came to grips with the change it had overtaken. Small shocks of pain raged down her spine, across her skin, and into her muscles, but none of it matching the pain in her heart.

In the center of her body the emptiness reached a crescendo, fell then swelled again. It was as if a beast were inside of her, ripping to get out. She screamed in agony. She balled herself up, praying for it all to stop as she reached another crescendo and fell again. Never before had she felt something so intense, and she was losing herself again to the feeling.

Lenette stared at Hermione with sad eyes as did Kaleen, but neither of them made any move to help the young vampire that writhed before them. Coran turned away, averting his eyes, not standing the look of her and slowly whispering the words "What have we done?"

On the far side of the camp, Axis stood rigid with his back still turned. His dark eyes watched the trees, searching them hopelessly while Hermione screamed. To him, her screams merely echoed his own pain, and his heart wrenched at her morbid song.

Seconds passed like hours to Hermione, minutes passed like years. The vast feeling of loneliness reached one last crescendo and stopped, teetering on the edge of falling one last time, but never quite making it back down.

Hermione screamed, arching her back against the agony of her heart, her face contorting grotesquely.

"Why!" She screamed to no one in particular, blood tears making ghastly waterfalls on her pale cheeks.

"You crave him." Lenette shrugged, "That is all. You will learn to live with the emptiness."

Hermione moaned, clawing at her chest. She opened her now parched lips in protest but was somehow beaten.

Cruel laughter sounded at the other side of the small camp. "Live with the emptiness?" The laughter followed the statement with a slight edge of insanity. "You call this living? If this is life, I pray for the day of my death. I pray for my deliverance! To Hell and Damnation with it all!" The last was given in a loud, gravelly voice, and Axis fell to the ground in a crumpled mass shaking with the effort of holding back his own emptiness.

Although Lenette showed no mercy. "Do you think yourself any different, Axis, from any other?" She paused then dove in again, relentless. "Look around you, Little Prince. You are not nearly the first nor by far the last to feel the pangs of 'Need'…I will concede that you have far exceeded any expectation of pure will and determination, but I will not accept this from you who is the strongest of all of us. If you can not overcome need, you are not fit to lead." Lenette's eyes were narrowed, her voice low, and her hair writhed in the aura she was throwing. The vampire seethed of anger and disappointment.

Axis shook harder still as Lenette continued on in a blind rage. "You feel your 'Need' as did I and those before me. Your father and his father before him also felt them, but neither found the gall to damn the world as you have done. Beware your words, Axis, for you have little knowledge of their power."

Drops of beaded sweat formed on the young vampire's forehead. He shivered on in his crumpled ball murmuring of her closeness and praying to deities unknown to even himself for some clue to her whereabouts.

All the while Hermione watched, entranced in her own torture. She saw his form among the dirt and grass of the forest floor, tasted blood of his tears on the night air and found her pain to be lessened.

In some morbid, awkward way his own torture gave her small wretched mind hope. The salty ecstasy of blood tantalized her tongue and in her confused state she crept unnoticed towards him.

Only inches from him on the ground she reached, and found his skin. Pain ravished her for long moments, pulsing again and rising into the deadly crescendo. Red formed before her eyes and the crescendo swelled to the point of insanity once more. She was lost, confused by the intensity of it all and she longed to jump over this last swelling of pain, fall from it as if falling from the edge of a cliff, and give into it.

She heard screams of anguish that she knew to be her own, then all at once the pain was gone. She was falling, falling from the pain and confusion, and when she landed she found herself to be in Axis's arms.

His arms clutched her, pressing her closer to his chest, and she could see he too had felt pain.

"It was you. All along it was you," he whispered into her hair. His grasp on her loosened, and he pulled away, staring into her eyes. "It's not supposed to be you, but it is."

Hermione was at a loss for words, her whole body was in a state of shock, pleasurable shock. She felt something where once there had been a void for so long, but she was unsure of herself here surrounded by people she had just met, in the arms of a boy she hadn't even second glanced. And she realized she was scared beyond reckoning.

Without even consciously thinking about it, she left, not realizing until she saw the purple tendrils and through them the incredulous look in Axis's dark eyes.

She had lost everything in one moment trying to help a complete stranger and was repaid with a curse beyond any mortal's reckoning.

She killed without remorse, fed on those who had once been her friends, and wandered around knowing nothing of this monster she had become, and now this new feeling to add to it all. God she hated herself…

But the worst was that she liked her curse, loving it as much as she hated it.

It was all becoming a beautiful nightmare. Or as in a story she once read, it was like flowers that ate flesh. She was running toward a heavenly Hell of someone else's design without even knowing why.

The street lamps burned, their glow casting eerie shadows in her view. The blood of the purely living called to her from their beds, and she was determined to answer that call.

Sounds of the wizard town echoed behind the thrums and cadences of the beating hearts. Going for the closest house, she slammed through the rickety door without even trying to open it.

There were two beats here, both slow, one strong, one weak.

Following the music, she shot up the dilapidated stairs on silent feet. Even crazed she was the perfect killer. The beating became as a slow dance, the whistle of wind in the trees upon the street, the crackle of flame from the lamps outside, and the steady rhythm of the beating hearts.

Instinct guided Hermione now, wild animal instinct pushed her to the edge, and with a feral growl she pounced the closest sleeping form.

Using her fingernails she ripped the flesh from the form and gorged herself on the blood. Long after the beating ended, she sat licking at the remnants of the tattered heart she held in her hands. When she had taken it from the body, she could not know.

In the corner, another form sat huddled, most likely thinking itself in a dream, but most certainly awake. A young girl, much younger than Hermione who's clothes hung in shreds around her.

Turning, Hermione the predator leapt again, with a grace unequaled by any living thing, she landed in front of the scared child. Her beauty in the lamplight coming in from a shattered window was the only comfort the young girl had.

With willing arms, the little girl wrapped herself around Hermione's neck and allowed herself to be taken, knowing nothing of what she did. With a silent gasp, Hermione took the girl's life, losing herself in the ecstasy of her blood.

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For a long time, Axis lay on the ground, feeling no reason or better yet no need for him to rise, he simply lay in the shadows watching the moon.

On the other side of the small camp he heard the others making plans to find the newest member of their party, and all of them dead set on detouring to the nearest town to search her out. But again Axis felt no need to join in the conversation.

At the moment he was following the sound of one particular heartbeat. Somewhere off in the distance, she was there.

Born as a Blood Prince of his people, a living vampire, he was the strongest of his kind. Axis was raised as royalty, yet knew nothing of it pleasures. His life had been filled with tests and the instilling of the vampire laws, a hardening of will and the strengthening of pride. Like the pureblooded wizards, he was taught to keep face and never show weakness. And above all he had been taught to rule during war, like the one he had left his family to fight while he made the last traditional trek to become whole. He left a boy and would return a man in the eyes of his family.

He was the oldest and only son of four children and the next in the line of succession. It was a title he dreaded, being Clan Leader was no easy task. But he knew even as he thought about it that was what he was. He knew nothing else, no craft but to lead and hunt, loved nothing but his family and his people, and he had no choice in the matter. He was Prince of the Clan of Dark Blood and once his father decided he was ready to hand him the title, he would be Clan Leader.

Unwittingly, Axis stood up and began walking toward the sound of the distant heartbeat. Lenette watched and made no move to stop him, merely whispering her assent.

The snap of twigs and leaves soon gave way to the crunch of gravel and the trees came and went in a blur of speed. She still had not moved from what ever spot she had chosen.

A wizard's town, small and quaint, where the twinkling lights of people still flickered in the windows. Hogsmeade if he had correctly read the swinging town sign.

The streets were for the most part empty of people, most likely due to the chill air of the fall weather.

His put out his arms, feeling the chill breeze, running his fingers in the current, his long leather coat billowed outward. Walking onward, allowing his heavy boots to crunch on the gravel of the road, he followed the slow cadence of her heart.

In his mind he tried to think of what he would say when he found her. What could he say, "Hi, I'm your soul mate, I know you don't know me very well and you don't understand what it is to be one of us yet, but I hope you don't mind?" It was insane.

At last, he came to a ragged little house squished between to similarly shabby buildings. He listened, hearing her slow breathes from inside.

The door was missing from its rusted hinges, the corners and ceiling hung with dusty cobwebs. The stairs had an untrustworthy creak that bespoke of age, and the hand railing that ran up them to the second and third floors was rotted through in many parts.

But Axis paid no mind to any of them, his mind focused on the tug at his heart, his bond with her. He gave into the tug and felt himself pulled much like a portkey to her.

Hermione lay sleeping on the dusty hardwood of the third floor, covering herself with tattered rags. Her body exhausted mentally as well as physically from all her stress of the past couple of months.

He knelt beside her. Brown tendrils covered some of her face, and Axis pushed them gently out of the way.

He had to admit, she was beautiful, even if not what she was expected to be.

Usually, for the past thousand or so years, royal blood vampires, and ones born not made, felt need only to others that were born because the blood was stronger. And seeing as the vampire gene all came from one origin, the stronger the blood, the stronger the call.

But unlike pureblooded wizards, vampires felt no ill will towards those who where made. In fact, those made were embraced and dearly loved because they were seen as worthy enough to be given the gift. It had been thus since, Elryien the Maker, the first vampire to give the gift of his blood to one who was not born of it.

Hermione groaned in her sleep and grimaced. A nightmare.

Axis knelt closer, wrapped his arms underneath Hermione's sleeping form, and picked her up from the dusty floor. He held her close to his chest, breathing in her scent, and formed the dark blue-black tendrils that would take them back to the forest.

Lenette was waiting when he returned, "Two cycles, then we go home, I am going to return tonight for a short while to get the ceremonies in order, but I do not believe it would be wise to bring her after so much has happened. She needs time to adjust, and time to say good-bye to those she knew in her past life."

Axis looked down at the young woman he held in his arms, _who was she_? He had no idea, but he was soon going to find out.

Nodding to Lenette, he walked a short distance to the fire setting Hermione down as gently as he could. She was shivering, though he knew it wasn't the cold she felt, and began to unroll his sleeping pallet, setting the young woman on one side and wrapping her in a blanket.

Hermione cracked an eyelid, seeing him walk to the other side of the fire and take a seat on the broken log that was there. She made no move to get up, but kept her eyes on him and snuggled closer into the warmth of her makeshift bed, wondering the same things about him

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A/N: okay, even though this isn't very long, I am a little wore out, and I think this to be just as good a stopping point as any. I have some psychology to study for. But as soon as my exams are over I plan to write more for both Blood Secrets and my Shadow's of A Fallen Angel.

I just wanted to thank you all (sloth, fayth, blacklustz, and sundancegurl) again for your reviews, and I am very glad you like what I have come up with so far. Keep the reviews coming, they are what keep my muse alive.


	5. Chapter 5

Blood Secrets 5:

The fall night air whispered through the trees. Where once the fire had burned, a scorched circle lay cold, and in the moonlight five predatory figures stood in a circle surrounded by swirling tendrils of ethereal smoke.

A cloud passing through the moon's path covered the forest in black, and when it had gone past, the figures had disappeared with it.

Hogwarts seemed odd in the moonlight. Somehow it no longer seemed the childhood home it once had. The shadows cast in it's stone were eerily depressing. The swish of long grass in the wind gave Hermione shivers, as did the black lake's lapping waters. But even for all this, the castle was magnificent.

"Must we do this Lenette?" Hermione asked for what must be the millionth time. She knew she was being childish, but she could not help but fear what would happen when everyone found out about her.

"You know the answer to this already do you not, child?"

Hermione looked to the black castle and sighed thinking of what Dumbledore would say when she went to tell him of what she had become. If he would even allow her to see her friends or if he would throw her from the castle. She doubted the latter, seeing as a retinue of vampires was not so harshly dealt with. But then again, she had never met anyone as a witch who was a vampire, so how could she know.

Next to her, the calming rhythm of Axis's heart beat thumped in her ear. He had said nothing since the night before. Had not pushed her in any way, respecting her wariness. For this she was thankful, especially since Lenette had explained the bond she and Axis now shared. It was a little much all at once to find that she was this man's soul mate and he a prince born vampire.

She did not even know where to begin with this.

A single step forward at a time. Gravel crunched under her shoes, and as she crossed the threshold of the castle grounds, a single light flared to life in one of the towers. Hagrid's shack was filled with rumbled snores as they passed, the half giant's mighty heart coupled with the faster beat of his loyal beast fading as they crossed the court yard.

Massive front doors swung open as they approached, the wood creaking on its huge brass hinges. Light poured out from within the entry hall, and Hermione felt like a trembling first year again. In the middle of the Great Stair, Dumbledore stood with an unreadable look on his face. His normal twinkle was not present and he offered no smile to the deadly group before him.

Silence filled the hall with an uneasy and palatable feeling of tension that settled over Hermione. She found herself looking to Lenette for reassurance and then to Axis, both of whom did not glance her way.

She returned her questioning eyes toward her old headmaster and surprised herself with the admittance that she was somehow still scared of the old man. He was older than she had before imagined and yet there was a vibrant youthfulness to him. His heartbeat gave no sign that he was afraid of what stood before him, and his blue eyes gave her the sense of stolid acceptance.

But it was the strength she feared. Not physical strength of course, his strength of soul and power that he radiated to her mind's eye. It was a beacon in the room that she had not noticed in the place before. Before when she had been in the school as half vampire she could see none of the power inside of their bodies that spewed forth in an aura that surrounded all witches and wizards.

Dumbledore stood before her as a beacon of swirling light. Eddies of silver and white and dark blue, iridescent pools of shimmering power that the man wore like a cloak over his body and then slowly faded around him clearing her vision of him until what she saw was what she had seen every day she had attended school.

"Ms. Granger." Dumbledore broke the silence, "I believe you have some…explaining to do, yes?"

She nodded mutely, and stepped forward to follow him up to his office, staring straight forward but not really seeing as she knew the way. She could not hear the footsteps of the rest of her group but knew they followed and this made the trip a little easier.

As Hermione unerringly placed one foot in front of the other, she numbed herself to what was about to take place in the Headmaster's office, knowing that it would probably hurt her to tell him her story and to see what she was sure to be rejection cross the man's face as she told her tale.

She heard the old stone statue grinding in it's place, followed the stairs upward, and waited in silence again as the Headmaster opened the door. Each took a seat, Axis beside her, Lenette to their right, Coran and Kaleen took seats beside the door, allowing this matter to take place without their interruption.

This time Dumbledore offered no candy to his visitors and initiated nothing, he gave Hermione a piercing look and waited for her to give him the story.

The portraits of the previous Headmasters leaned forward as she gave the tale in a low resigned voice, refusing to divert her eyes from Dumbledore. In truth she was waiting for any sign of change as she related the events to him. Any look of pity or understanding to her plight would have been welcome, some reassurance from any one in the room, something to say that she was not alone in this, but she received nothing. And accepted that as her final answer to her silent pleas.

When her tale was finished, the wizened old wizard reclined in his creaking chair and looked around his room at all of the things that occupied, coming at last to her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed for the first time to not know how to answer her tale.

At last he finally made up his mind and answered her as best he could.

"I can not lie to you, Ms. Granger. I am at a loss of words for what you have brought to me…What you are now," He shifted his eyes to Axis and Lenette then back to her. He hesitated on how to continue and Hermione tried to put herself in his place. He was the Headmaster. First and foremost his duty was to protect and teach the children of Hogwarts, and she was a danger to all of them, a predator.

Dumbledore seemed to swallow his next words, his predicament finally showing through his eyes. His next words came out slow, his voice almost pleading her to see. "I can not condone what you are now, although it seems you had no choice in the matter. But Ms. Granger you are a…danger to those you are…were, close to. Can you see that?"

It hurt to hear him say such things to her, even though she had known it herself. And she nodded to him, finally allowing herself to look away from the man she had once looked to for help.

She refused the tears that burned at the back of her eyes, and stood from her chair. "We will go now if that's what you want…I only came to…say my good-byes."

"No Ms. Granger I believe you should do as you came to do, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter deserve as much." Dumbledore steepled his fingers across the front of his desk, "And what of your family, Have you gone to them yet to tell them of your predicament?"

Hermione closed her eyes against the tears, hoping none would spill, but she could hold them back no longer. They silently creeped into the corners of her eyes, instantly forcing her throat to constrict. What would her mother and father say? Would they be able to understand what she was and realize she was no longer a living person?

"No sir, I have not." She forced the words past the tight lump in her throat and silently wished he would call Harry and Ron up so she would at least feel like she was not alone in all this. "Professor?" She dearly hoped he understood because she feared she could no longer speak.

"Sir, I believe she would like to see her friends now."

Axis's voice startled her a little, it was so low and yet she could feel that it was a command he had issued to Dumbledore and not a request. No one had ever issued Dumbledore a command, at least not that she had ever seen.

Hermione waited for the cold anger she had seen the older man release on few occasions when provoked, but it never came. All that was left in his eyes for her to see was the silent look of grief. The old man nodded his head in consent and rose to do Axis's bidding.

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Harry's face gave nothing away as he entered the room silently followed by Ron. Both boys shrouded in light, Harry's far brighter than even Dumbledore's aura could have ever hoped to be. Streaks of gold ran parallel to silver and white in Ron, but Harry was pure light.

"Professor?" Harry questioned glancing at the other in the room, "What is this about sir?"

Hermione felt herself cringe, this was the last moment she would be as she always had been in her friend's eyes, and she didn't want this single moment to end. She didn't want her two best friends to see this new thing she had become as much as she wanted to share with them the power she felt inside herself.

Dumbledore gave a small sigh, "My boys, this is a grave matter that is not my burden to share with you."

The question was in their eyes. Who were these people? What was happening? Why were they here? Who's burden?

"It's mine."

The words were spoken low, she knew that, but it was as loud as she could manage without choking on them.

"Your what, Mione?" Ron sputtered.

She felt the tears begin in the back of her throat, the heavy lump pushing it's way higher. She could not cry now of all times. She refused them, swallowing heavily and forced herself to look up at her friends.

"It is her burden, Ron" Harry spoke before she could force the words from her mouth.

"Mione, what's wrong?"

"I…have to go away. I can't go to Hogwarts any more." The words rushed from her mouth and gave her a little strength for the next sentence she had to say. "I can't stay here any longer, it's too dangerous for me…for everyone really."

A dark shadow passed across Harry's features, and the mask of stolidness he had been wearing dropped momentarily. It was confusion she saw there, confusion and grief and shock.

"Hermione what are you saying, just tell us." His voice was like steel to her ears, but it gave her the support to say what had to be said.

"I've changed since last year and I haven't been telling you all the truth. Since school started I have been pretending to be someone I'm not and now it's gotten me into a lot of trouble. I have to leave and I don't want either of you to be mad at me because I truthfully don't have a choice in the matter."

" 'Mione, what are you talking about, you can't just leave. You have tests and …"

"Ron…"

"…and what about You-Know-Who?--"

"Ron…"

"You can't go, stay here, whatever's happened it's safe here for you. It's Hogwarts, Dumbledore is here and Harry, and the Order and …"

"I'M A VAMPIRE, RON!"

Complete silence followed those words, leaving them hanging in the air, making the room feel smaller. It was like a moment in a movie, but Hermione definitely did not feel like the gorgeous actress powdered and primped for her next big scene. She felt like someone had ripped the words from her throat and left another gaping hole in her. God, would she ever find a way to be happy like this?

"I can't stay here, if I do, something could happen. I might lose control and hurt someone. And no parent is going to want their children sleeping in a dormitory while there is a …a vampire…walking the halls at night. Besides you know that would be breaking the rules."

She had hoped to at least make them smile, but she had never been good at it.

Finally Harry rose to the occasion. "You never have gotten your priorities straight." After another long pause of thought he asked, "Where will you be going?"

"I don—"

"She will be going with us." Lenette stood and made her way to the center of the room. "Hermione has much to learn and she can not learn it here."

Harry's continence was bleak. "You did not answer my question, did you? I asked where she was going." Hard, cold words from Harry.

"I have not told you because it is not meant for the ears of wizards to know."

"You will tell us, or you will _not_ take her." Harry brooked no argument from Lenette and his impassive features made him someone completely different. Ron took a step forward positioning himself behind Harry in an obvious show of support.

"Harry I have no choice in this I must go with them."

"You go nowhere with them until I know you are safe. We will drop out of here and stay with you if that is what it takes. But I won't lose anyone else."

Lenette's slender back was turned to the group, her hair coiled in an intricate coif. Her body swayed and her aura seeped outward from her skin.

"_We will live in the Dark Blood, and where the Dark Blood flows, we will go. Through shadows in the night, avoiding the sunlight, we will arise hand in hand and overthrow the abhorred clan_."

"Cute rhyme. But it still tells me nothing."

"IT Tells you everything." Lenette hissed punctuating each word harshly before turning on them in a rage. "It is more than enough for any wizard who seeks one such as ourselves."

"Enough, I believe, for tonight" Dumbledore rose from his chair. "Harry, Ron, back to your rooms. You shall see Hermione tomorrow."

The heat or lack thereof in the conversation filtered through the room fully before Harry and Ron acknowledged the fact they were being dismissed. "We will be speaking of this again." Harry's eyes were sharp and Hermione noticed the flare of aura around him in direct counter to his dark features. She could tell he was hiding the hurt he felt from those around him and that though Ron's shown directly on his face, that the red haired wizard was no weaker for the showing.

"I will see you tomorrow night, I promise." She assured them, and gave them a nod to seal her words so that no more harsh words would ruin everything.

-----------------------------------------------

Once the two boys had made their way escorted back to Gryffindor, Dumbledore showed his odd visitors to the Room of Requirement and bade them have a good night. The closing of the door behind the powerful wizard felt strangely comforting, and the tenseness of her muscles slowly relaxed.

On the far wall a fire place blazed in the typical cheery manner of any of the common rooms, and a nice set of comfortable looking couch sets surrounded the fire invitingly offering a place to rest. The rest of the room was divided into smaller rooms that upon further investigation proved to be even more inviting bedrooms all lacking windows.

A set of book shelves lined the area around the fireplace, and a small table was set off to the side with what appeared to be writing materials perched atop it's gleaming surface.

Kaleen made her way to the first of the couches and plopped down upon it in a most ungraceful way. She gave a tiny giggle that in turn made Corin smile at her before he too dropped onto the seat beside her. Lenette took a lone chair leaving no other place for Hermione and Axis except the opposite couch. It seemed as though Hermione would never find a relaxing moment as she sat down beside Axis on the couch.

She looked around her at her companions and watched as they all relaxed into each other's company, wanting to feel the same way. It made her wish she was in the Gryffindor common room with Harry and Ron, that she and Ginny were sitting in front of the gold and scarlet tapestry discussing any of the mundane topics she could think of. Or that her only worry was studying for the next test in potions.

She gave a little sigh at the idle memory and turned to find Axis watching her with his dark eyes. They were not at all uncomely, and in some way made his features all the more exotic looking. His skin was not as pale as she would have thought from someone who had never seen sunlight, but it was not white as most people thought of vampires. He had high cheekbones that made Hermione almost jealous and a nose that fit perfectly to his face. It was not to sharp and not squished, but a perfect mold to his features. His hair was dark, though not as dark as his eyes, but a very dark brown with a hint of red in it that only shown in the glint of the firelight. There was a shine to his hair that made her want to touch it and make sure it was as soft as it seemed. And when she thought of this her mind immediately turned to thoughts of kissing him. His lips were closer than they ever had been previously.

A deep blush ran across her face that she felt gave away her thoughts, so she turned away.

"It is time you learned more about us, Hermione." Kaleen said from across the room. "I shall teach you something tonight." Kaleen made to move to the floor, but before she could shift to the new position, Axis stopped her.

"No I will teach her, you can stay with Corin." His voice offered no room for Kaleen to gainsay him, and Hermione began to wonder if he was always the same way. Was it always his way or no way?

Axis slid to the floor and waited until Hermione had placed herself opposite, her back facing the fire.

"For thousands of years our people have followed a code set down before us by the first of our kind. It is this code that guides us and protects us and it is something that every vampire must learn. You must learn the laws and abide them before all else." His eyes held hers, "Once you have grasped the code you will fully become one of us."

Hermione nodded to show that she accepted this.

"First among these laws is that everything has an order that must be followed. In the hierarchy your clan is first. Second is kind. Third is Mortal. Your first allegiance is to your clan, and to all other vampires your clan gives you status, after your clan comes your kind. If you are in a congregation of vampires and you are intermingling with a congregation of mortals then your allegiance is always to the vampires. After all of this comes the hierarchy of the mortals. As we live forever then our law comes before their law. A mortal will never be in existence as long as we, and therefore have no authority to govern our lives.

Second among these laws is that no born vampire is of higher status than that of a made vampire. Status is not determined by birth as a vampire, but by strength as a vampire. Strength of will, strength of purpose, and strength of heart.

Third of these laws is that though mortals are a source of food, and they have no authority over our kind, they are not to be killed unless for food or because they pose a threat. Mortals are not to be killed for fun.

Fourth, when within another clan's territory, always show respect for that clan and it's rules, unless at war with that clan. If two clans are at war then only respect for the dead is expected.

Fifth, every clan has its own clan right. It is an innate power given to that clan alone. When one member of that clan leaves to join another, the clan right is revoked. And upon rebirth into a new clan, the clan elders will bestow the clan right to the newest member.

Sixth, all knowledge founded by, for, and gained from vampires is to remain in the minds of vampires only. No mortal is to know the laws, whereabouts, or inner workings of any clan or its members.

The seventh and final law is that of challenge. Any challenge within the clan is to first blood. If a clan leader is challenged and fails to win, then the challenger must also defeat all of the clan leader's heirs. If the challenger defeats them all then he is made heir to the clan leader and must wait and endure the clan leader until the Passing of the Clan. Passing of the Clan from clan leader to the heir is done also with first blood if first blood has not already been taken by the heir and responsibility for the previous clan leader and his family is given to the new leader."

Hermione took all of this in as best she could, following Axis' words by repeating them to herself. She had remembered Kaleen saying that all vampires knew these laws and that made vampires were taught them directly after they were made. This meant she was way behind in learning them now. A fully made vampire who did not know the core of all vampire beliefs.

But with these laws, she realized that she had more questions. What was this clan right that all vampires had? What made it so important that the clans had to revoke it from a member who was leaving?

"Clan right is a gift given to all within a clan. It is as a witch or wizard would call it, a power. Every clan has a different clan right that can only be used by that specific clan, thus when a vampire leaves one clan to go to another, the clan right is revoked. With the revoking of the right comes a revoking of the memory of the right so that none but the clan itself will know what the power of the right entails." He was reading her mind, she could feel it as if he was a presence in her head. It was gentle and not forceful in any way that she could tell, but nonetheless she didn't like his intrusion.

"I think it is time we rested." Lenette stood from her chair and gave a languorous stretch before turning to make her way to one of the beds hidden away in the room. Kaleen and Corin both muttered half mouthed good byes and silently did the same, leaving Hermione and Axis alone in the center of the room.

"It is almost time for the sun to rise." He said quietly to her, "we should go to bed as well."

Hermione looked around, felt the pull in her stomach that said the sun was rising, but that she still had time. "Axis?" It was the first time she had ever thought to address him straightforward without someone else around.

His eyes met hers, and all the questions she had at first thought to ask about the clans and herself, and her new role melted away. She could remember none of them. Her hand lifted from its space in her lap and moved up to his hair as if it had a mind of its own.

She traced a line down the side of his jaw and then followed the contours of his face to his mouth. She had never done anything like this before, but she could not seem to help herself.

In an instant his face was centimeters away from hers, his eyes so close, she could finally see the dark black of his pupils separated from the deep brown of his eyes. It was like she was drowning in them. She saw the deep green and gold of his aura rise up from him and swirl outward and she felt her own rising as well, and for a moment she turned to watch as his aura moved toward her own deep red and purple swirled together in a myriad of color. She turned back to face him and found that he too was watching their auras mixing together and she pulled his face towards her.

He watched her, waiting for her to make the move, and she was happy that he was not going to force her into something she was not ready for. She could see the want in him, the longing to touch her, and the strength it took for him to hold it back.

Slowly Hermione leaned in and touched her lips to his, feeling the softness of them and slowly pressed her tongue against them, searching for an opening. His mouth opened and he kissed her with all the longing he had felt. Putting into the kiss more than words could have said, and she melted into it.

His hands pulled her closer to him and she gave in, forgetting that she knew nothing of him or caring even less for it. He tasted of moonlight and shadows, it was a powerful heady rush, intoxicating, and all at the same time it made her feel so powerful. She could taste the wildness of him and the strength in him and at the same time she could feel in him all the emotions he held away from his face.

She swooned and broke away from the kiss, her eyes catching a glimpse of their auras settling back into place about them, and she slowly slipped her hand into his.

With ease he lifted her up from the ground and they both silently made their way to the last open bedroom to settle in before the first rays of the sun spread out over the castle.

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A/N: Well it was definitely time for an update. And I am sorry it took so long for me to get out here for you all. Thanx for the reviews, and I hope u like the newest edition.


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